* Initiative, saving throws, and perception rolls will be made for the players by the GM if it moves the adventure along quickly. Otherwise, players will roll their own dice.

* Dice rollers can be Invisible Castle or the EnWorld on-line dice roller for the players. The GM will use his own dice at home or an on-line random number generator.

* Any absences for longer than 2-3 days should be communicated to the GM. In general, please try to post 3x/week. Players who consistently slow down the game will be removed, at GM's discretion. Note: I will not be available from Friday evening to Sunday evening most weekends during the summer.

* All characters need an appropriate character picture, head-shot preferably, for token on the tactical grids.

* A mini-stat spoiler block that includes a link to your character sheet will be required in every IC post. Please spoilerblock OOC posts and discussions.

Serroth has given to us that are three great forces of infantry: that of the berserk, that of the skirmisher, and that of the defender. Each is matched against its own, so that when like forces meet, only numbers or vigor will win the day. This is a poor strategy. It is far wiser to meet an army with that which it is most weak against. A commander who is stronger in the light of Serroth will endeavor first to know his enemy, and then to array against him such things as will most easily defeat him.

A force of skirmishers is greatest when placed against a force of defenders, as the armor of a defender needs must entail diminished maneuverability. This allows a force of skirmishers to strike and strike again at the flanks of the less mobile defenders. However, a force of skirmishers needs must fear a force of berserks, for a berserk’s great tactic is the charge, whereby they might easily run down and scatter a force of skirmishers. In such ways, a force of berserks is most strong when placed against a force of skirmishers, but its attacks are not so deadly when arrayed against the shields and tighter formation of a force of defenders, whose movement is but slow, and yet most inexorable, across the field of battle.

Be it known that I speak of no more than the disposition of infantry across the battlefield. Forces of archers and of cavalry add greater complexities in which the light of Serroth guides us also, but in ways more difficult to convey so simply. Most especially, is it unwise to neglect magery, for even a small working can oft turn the tide of battle.

Above all and before all, the greatest weapon a commander might bring to battle is knowledge, for even the greatest army will batter against a well-prepared enemy with little more effect than the tide on a sea-rock. It is oft the lack of one simple fact that turns a great army into a poor one, and a wise commander must know when his knowledge is incomplete, and where he may search in order to make his knowledge more complete.

Know this: Serroth sometimes speaks in a great voice to those who are our greatest prophets, but more often he whispers the small things to us – those things which win battles and rout our foes – if we only know to listen.

It’s a fine day in Venza, and the sunshine even manages to penetrate the gloom and squalor of the Planks District. Indeed, the weather is so perfect that the many of the inhabitants have come outside to sit in the warm light of early afternoon and chat with their neighbors. Even the street children are too busy enjoying games of tag and jump-rope to harass passers-by for spare change.

The Lower Guild seems subtly different than you remember. The Guildhouse was always a sort of dingy building with a palisade that was half-falling down, and the yard was infested by off-duty guards lounging around, gambling and smoking. Many of them were out-of-shape and unkempt, with tarnished weaponry. Over the past few years, Guildmaster Furros has made an effort to bring the Lower Guild into mainstream Venzan society, but aside from a few parties and bazaars where the Lower Guild’s handful of elite troops were present for novelty value, he’s been unsuccessful.

However, there’s a definite, positive change in the air now. The Guildhouse and its grounds seem cleaner, and there’s a work crew patching the palisade wall. And while there are still a few of the old guard lounging around and looking seedy, they're outnumbered by several groups of young recruits training in the yard – some of it is weapons training, but the majority of it appears to be strengthening exercises and aerobics. In a corner of the yard, a half dozen long tables have been set up, and a cook stirs a huge cauldron full of a stew that doesn’t exactly smell delicious, but at the very least smells quite hearty.

Asking for Ben gets you escorted inside to an office that literally looks as if it was converted from a broom closet. The room barely has enough space for a small desk and a couple for chairs that look like they were stolen from an elementary school. The desk faces the door, but it’s pressed up against one wall on one side, and there’s barely eighteen inches of clearance on the other. Stacks of books cover most of the horizontal surface of the desk – there’s no room in the office for a bookshelf. The only decoration is a symbol of Serroth hangs on the wall.

Ben is reading a book, but rises as you enter. “Lady e’Kiernan, so good to see you again. And a pleasure to meet you, sir,” he says to Fury, extending a hand. He pauses, obviously trying to work out who Fury is and what he’s doing here. And now that Ben is standing and you can get a good look at him, you can see the young man is practically dead on his feet from exhaustion. Even so, there’s a slight satisfaction in his smile as he watches the bustle of activity in the corridor behind you.

Cythera e'Kiernan, Bronze Dragon Disciple

Knowing that any venture to the Planks might not be a stroll in the park, Cythera stops by her appartment to change from her social attire into full adventuring kit.

On seeing Ben, she smiles a greeting and says, "Good to see you, Ben. Furros wasn't joking about the closest, was he?"

"You look tired. Instead of just killing you, they decided to work you to death instead?" She winks playfully, not really being serious about death. But, she did show concern on her expression when she mentioned him looking tired.

Orlando Furioso, human Bard/Rogue

Orlando smiles and nods pleasantly to the young man.

"The name's Orlando Furioso but most people call me 'Fury' nowadays."

He shakes the tired priest's hand firmly. Not wanting to push on directly to business and interrupt the social niceties he is just beginning to master Orlando considers leaving the question in the other man's eyes unanswered. Instead, he continues on.

"My mentor, Milo de Luca, sent me to see if I could lend you a hand in some fashion. Lucky I ran into Cythera or I'm not sure I would've found you."

Ben rubs his eyes. "I'm working myself to death, actually. Well, not to death, but I've been busy with the Lower Guild and, uh ... the other thing," he says, still somewhat unsure of Fury.

He nods as Fury mentions Milo. "Signor de Luca has been by a few times. He seems very interested the progress of the Lower Guild. I'd certainly be happy to accept any help you could offer."

A thought seems to strike him, he gathers up a couple of books and a handful of scrolls. "It's a beautiful day, and this room is a bit inadequate for three people. Care to go outside?" He leads Fury and Cythera back outside to the long dining tables in the yard.

He gestures at the activity in the yard. "This is half of what's been keeping me busy. Lower Guild rules say that any member in good standing can raise his own regiment. And Dame Forenicci gifted me with a golden sword for my part in our, uh, performance at her party." He shakes his head. "Gold. I can hardly imagine anything more useless. I traded it for coin, and I've started hiring any man or woman ready to pick up a weapon and work an honest day. The gift was worth weeks of funding. Months."

He rubs his temples. "Still, it's ... not been easy. There's resistance from the old guard and some of the senior members. But the biggest obstacle is simply that people here are undernourished and unhealthy. The first step is just feeding the recruits, and then getting them in shape." He gestures at the calisthenics and strength training. "Only then can we move to combat training." He smiles, oddly. "It will work, though. I know it. The people here need work, but more than that, they need a reason to live. The Lower Guild will provide the first at least, and by His grace, Serroth will provide the other. That task has taken my days, from dawn to dusk."

He sags a little, and the fervor that's been driving him seems to fade. A haunted look comes to his face. "But the other thing ... I've been researching, nights. Dusk to dawn. About the wrathspawn. About the tattoo. About the symbol. And I know what the symbol means, now. It's a mark of a prophet of Serroth. Those things, they couldn't be my lord's workings could they? Could they?" He looks desperately at Cythera, seemingly forgetting Fury's presence. "I can't sleep. Sometimes I can't think. I know my faith should be strong, but that these things should bear His mark ... it can't be right!"

Cythera e'Kiernan, Bronze Dragon Disciple

After seeing Ben's work, Cythera nods approvingly, "This is impressive, Ben. You have accomplished much so far."

She looks deep in thought and her eyes narrow in concentration before she replies about the wraithspawn and such, "The symbol of the prophet, huh? I still think you might have an internal conspiracy going on."

"Perhaps there is corruption and something rotten in your church. But, Serroth is looking to you to flush it out into the light and deal with it appropriately."

Orlando Furioso, human Bard/Rogue

Orlando doesn't know what is going on and so he opts to keep his mouth closed and eyes and ears open. He follows Cythera and the priest out to the yard and as he listens to Ben speak he looks around. To Orlando's eyes the activity in the yard looks much like the training of a private army. It makes him uneasy and he resolves to send a message to Commander Parsons when he gets a chance. He tries to focus on what Ben is saying but wrathspawn and prophets and possible conspiracy involving the sect of this Serroth whom Orlando hasn't heard of before is all outside his area of expertise and the training keeps drawing his attention...

Ben seems to catch himself, and Fury's unease is not lost on him. "I'm sorry, sir. From a certain point of view, I know this may look like Ranocchio's young are turning into a militant cult." He shakes his head. "Venza's merchants need protection -- better protection than what the Lower Guild is currently capable of offering, especially outside the city limits. And Ranocchio's streets are filled with the hungry and the hopeless. If nothing else, I'm trying to use one problem to solve the other." The young man seems sincere.

"And if it's any consolation, I've been a lot less successful in getting butts into pews than I have in getting swords into hands and food into bellies. Ranocchio folk seem generally distrustful of religion." He chuckles. "It's a challenge, to be sure. Still ... if all this accomplishes nothing more than bringing discipline, strength, and pride to those who will take it, that will be praise unto Serroth enough."

At the mention of his god's name, Ben's expression turns hunted again. "But I'm ... I have suspicions. A conspiracy? I don't know. It's hard to believe. But these things, bearing the markings of the Architect ... it's blasphemous. It's a corruption of Serroth's word. I don't know if I can ... if I should continue..."

He trails off, looking at the activity in the yard. The doubt on the young man's face is plain to see, and it's just as plainly eating him alive.

Fury nods his approval for what this young priest has accomplished in such a short time.

"I see now why Milo sent me to see if I could help. You've a good plan and it's good to see someone take action to solve our problems. But I have to confess I don't know half about what you are talking about. Who is this 'Architect'? Serroth is unfamiliar to me as well. And I can't say that I know anything about wrathspawn but they don't sound pleasant. Lay it all out and maybe we'll pick up on something you haven't."